Moonlight Beach is arguably the epicenter of Encinitas. Some may say Swami's, some may say the old downtown, or even the new Walmart (that's a joke- a poor one at that). My vote is Moonlight Beach- just look at the amount of families and tourists it draws on the weekend either at the beach, playground, park, scenic overlooks, ocean, or volleyball courts. There's been some rejuvenation over the past few years down there- with the playground getting new equipment, landscaping of the park, and Cottonwood Creek getting restored. Next up is the concession stand and lifeguard towers getting a remodel starting in September.
There's even some shuffling of the beach layout. The lifeguard tower is getting a garage that will be built into the small C Street embankment below the lower parking lot. And the concession stand is being combined with the restrooms (no jokes please) and being moved to the side of the hill under the large parking lot (see the diagram above to help clear up my confusing message). The city's website says "The proposed 2-story lifeguard tower will total approximately 1,900 square feet, be in the same location as the existing facility and consolidate the area currently used for storage containers and rescue equipment. The proposed detached garage will total approximately 950 square feet, be located approximately 50 feet from the tower and be tucked into the slope of the site, providing for recreational space above, serving as an overlook. The restroom building and concession stand and associated storage will be combined into a single building of approximately 3,600 SF and will be recessed into the toe of the slope below the existing parking lot and just south of the existing playground. The area of the existing restroom building and concession stand will be restored to beach area, resulting in a net increase of usable public recreational area. All new structures will be designed in response to the ocean environment and contain roof and wall forms that reference ocean and beach forms. Proposed materials were chosen for durability and include colored concrete, masonry, metal roofing, stainless steel railings and aluminum framed glazing. Colors were chosen from the environment to match the surrounding site and are muted earth tones. The new facilities will also incorporate “green” building elements such as natural ventilation and day lighting, photovoltaic panels and water saving fixtures."
Considering Moonlight Beach is one of the reasons we live in North County, the upgrade to the buildings will be much appreciated. Of course the changes will be a big draw to everyone living in the area, so the proposed new parking spaces on B Street will be necessary. The upgrades should be done by spring. Make sure to keep checking back on the North County Surf blog this winter for updates!
